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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 20:43:00 GMT -5
It was remarkably genial of David to tell her the best time Adrian would be free without apparently telling him or conducting this in anything like a businesslike manner, so that she could surprise him - she didn't want him to be prepped for her, for some reason. She wondered, not for the first time, how David would react if he knew about their... well, let's call it an affair and be done with it, even though it hadn't really been an affair, she'd hoped, with the polyamory and all of that. He seemed to regard them both more highly than he regarded most people, her husband included in that list. Adrian had joked they were like his parents once in California; that might have been the closest to accurate they had. He did seem to be enabling them to spend time together behind Loki's back with a little too much enjoyment.
The secretary who buzzed her in didn't give her more than a moment's glance; it was
"Mr. Veidt?" she asked. Teja felt her heart do a tiny lurch at the staticky voice that genially responded. "Mrs Loki is here to see you about those developments."
That was what Teja had told her, but she hadn't called herself Mrs. Loki, and she winced when the secretary did, touching her temple and fake-smiling to hide the internal cringe. At the go-ahead, she went ahead into his office.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:21:07 GMT -5
Adrian had already been standing and going over his calendar when the request came up, so he was very near the door when Teja opened it.
“Hey there, Mrs. Loki,” he said, smiling with gentle amusement as he held out his arms to embrace her. He was wearing a fairly relaxed grayish lilac sweater over a button-up shirt and darker gray pants today, which made him look, surprisingly, a little muted against the backdrop of his office. Even more uncharacteristic was the decision he had apparently made to maintain the short haircut she had given him herself the last time they saw one another. “How are things at home?”
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:23:48 GMT -5
Why did he still smell so good? She sank into the hug.
"I don't go by 'Mrs. Loki,'" she said in embarrassment. "Honestly -"
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:25:56 GMT -5
“I’ll have to pass that along,” he laughed. “I’ll tell them that Her Majesty the Princess doesn’t like to be addressed as Mrs. Loki, what do you say?”
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:27:33 GMT -5
"He's going to be king soon," she said with a frosty elegance, "but that will do for now, I think."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:28:33 GMT -5
“Of course, I’ll have it updated to Her Royal Highness the Queen as soon as necessary-“
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:29:33 GMT -5
"You know, I really miss when you used to kiss me when we met," she said with a melancholy tone. "I know that's a bad idea now, but I do miss it."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:30:22 GMT -5
“I almost did,” he admitted. “I had to stop myself.”
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:32:28 GMT -5
"We're getting remarkably sentimental, given what kinds of awful people we are."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:33:59 GMT -5
“I still can, if you’d like me to.”
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:35:34 GMT -5
"...well..."
What harm could one kiss do? They used to be lovers. Loki and she hadn't talked about whether or not things were Called Off. He might still be with Fandral, after all - they just hadn't spoken of it -
"...please do."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:43:55 GMT -5
Adrian leaned down and tipped her face up to his with his mechanical right hand, kissing her very tenderly for a long moment before parting from her mouth again to look at her.
“I didn’t want to assume,” he said softly.
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:45:52 GMT -5
She smiled at him, with a sudden unexpected sadness. She cleared her throat abruptly, then pressed his flesh and bone hand.
"It's just... it's nearly January," she whispered. "I wanted to check in."
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Nov 17, 2017 21:50:40 GMT -5
“Life goes on,” he said, smiling a little. “And there’s Christmas with the family to think of. Christmas with Nina and Meg, at any rate. Hannukah begins on the 26th this year; I’m letting Dan oversee that project as far as Ingrid is concerned.”
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Post by Teja on Nov 17, 2017 21:54:06 GMT -5
"Trying to explain Yule to Loki is a real riot, let me tell you. Given that modern Christmas is so many different holidays rolled into one and all of that, and I think I got him confused on some of them."
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